


Happiness comes from within (and from you)

by mseg_21



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Richie Joking About The Size Of His Patronus, Richie and Eddie Discover Something Else, The Losers Discover Their Patronus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mseg_21/pseuds/mseg_21
Summary: A special guest arrives at Hogwarts to teach the losers and the other sixth year students how to cast the Patronus Charm. Richie and Eddie end up learning a lot more than that.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris
Comments: 18
Kudos: 266





	Happiness comes from within (and from you)

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a post from my HP twin @tinyarmedrex about the losers' patronus. It got only a little bit out of hand and turned into a 9k fic. I really hope you all like it.

"Why do you think they called us all here?”

Bev shrugged, distractedly tossing and catching her wand. "Who knows? Maybe the kitchen elves finally rebelled and they need all of us to take care of lunch.” 

Eddie let out a snort, eyes traveling around the Great Hall. The four long tables had vanished and all the sixth year students from the four Hogwarts houses were scattered around the large room. That morning they received owls telling them that they should be there at noon, but not much else. Eddie could see the small groups of students whispering to each other, probably wondering why they were here. 

“Whatever the reason is it better be good if we’re missing Quidditch practice for it. Our match against Hufflepuff is coming up and we need to _crush_ them if we still want to win the cup. Sorry Ben.” Eddie said, sending a quick apologetic smile to his Hufflepuff friend, who simply brushed him off. 

“You don’t need Quidditch practice for that Eds, you’ll crush them either way,” said a familiar voice behind them. Eddie turned around to find Richie smirking at him. “No one can handle a broom like you do.” He added with a wink. 

Eddie felt his skin turn pink as a blush crept onto his face the way it did whenever Richie made one of his half flirty, fully inappropriate comments. He also felt his stomach flutter at the simple sight of him and his crooked Ravenclaw tie, messy dark curls and vibrant blue eyes⎯ but he chose to ignore that. He had gotten really good at that over the years. 

He had officially met Richie Tozier at the start of their second year. They were paired up together in Potions class and immediately started to bicker incessantly. Eddie didn’t trust Richie or his so-called innate talent for potions, choosing to ignore his every instruction and Richie was so focused on calling Eddie “cute” and pinching his cheeks that he didn’t notice Eddie was doing exactly the opposite of what he said until their cauldron blew up, covering them both in soot and Billywig’s entrails. Their bickering only got worse after that. 

Eddie told everyone who would listen⎯ usually his Slytherin housemate and best friend, Beverly⎯ that he hated Potions even more now that he had to work with Richie, but for some reason that he refused to admit, he also found himself looking forward to that class and to seeing Richie’s stupid crooked teeth and his silly muggle glasses that made his blue eyes look big and pretty. 

After that year, their paths kept crossing. 

Richie became the Quidditch commentator during their fourth year when he smuggled a muggle megaphone into Hogwarts, enchanted it and took it upon himself to narrate one of the matches, doing dumb voices and off color jokes while hiding under the bleachers. Professor McGonagall had found him and instead of sending him to detention, she asked him to take over the job, basically forcing Eddie to endure Richie’s flirting and propositioning him during Slytherin games as well. 

And then last year Richie’s best friend and fellow Ravenclaw, Stan, had started dating Mike, a sweet Hufflepuff boy who Eddie considered one of his closest friends. So now, most of Eddie’s trips to Hogsmeade and his study sessions at the library also included Richie. Things had changed a little after that. They would still bicker and argue but now, Richie would also make Eddie laugh so hard they got kicked out of the library by a very angry Madam Pince and he would offer to help Eddie with Potions, which he didn't seem able to _get._ They were friends now and Eddie may or may not have a gigantic crush on the Ravenclaw boy. 

He couldn't bring himself to make a move though. He wasn't sure that it wouldn't end badly and the last thing he wanted was to ruin his friendship with Richie and the easy dynamic of their group⎯ Stan, Mike, Bev, her boyfriend Ben and Bill, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team who had played countless games against Eddie and who had ended up in detention with Richie more than once, after going along with one of his pranks. 

Eddie had tried to squash down his feelings hoping they would go away but it was hard to deny what the mere sight of Richie did to him. 

He might not be able to deny it, but he sure as hell could try to hide it behind his snark. 

"I'm surprised to see you here Rich," Eddie said, mouth curling at the corners in a smirk. "You act so much like a child that I sometimes forget that you're in your sixth year too." 

Richie threw his head back with a laugh, delighted by Eddie's answer. "Eds gets off a good one!" 

Stan and Mike, who had walked in with Richie, rolled their eyes at the two of them. Eddie imagined Bev was doing the same thing next to him. 

The doors to the Great Hall swung open and their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Bloomsbury, walked in. She was a short, lean woman and she climbed the steps to the Head Table so they could all see her before speaking.

"Good afternoon students. I'm sure you're all wondering why we asked you to come here today." She said and Eddie nodded, as well as most of the other students. "We are here so you can learn a very useful, very advanced charm." 

Eddie frowned, why couldn't she teach them this spell during class hours? And why teach them all at once?

"But I'm not going to be the one to teach you. We have a very special guest here today to help you with that. I'm certain you have all heard about him." Bloomsbury continued, answering the questions in Eddie's head. "His name is Mister Harry Potter, Auror and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Eddie's eyes widened in surprise. The doors opened again and Harry Potter walked into the Great Hall. Eddie had seen pictures of him in books about the Battle of Hogwarts and in articles from the Daily Prophet, so he knew what he looked like but he’d never thought he would see him in person. He was a little shorter than he expected and looked slightly uncomfortable to be the focus of forty students at the same time, but he still offered the room a kind smile, probably used to it. 

Whispers and murmurs broke around the room as he made his way to the front. 

"It's Harry fucking Potter!" Bev muttered to him, nudging his side as if Eddie could've possibly missed it. 

"Hello everyone," Harry Potter said, voice firm as he waved at the room. "It's good to be back here, while most of my classmates hated the start of the school year I always looked forward to being back in Hogwarts. Don't get me wrong, I hated History of Magic classes as much as anyone," the students laughed, even Professor Bloomsbury smiled. "But there's just something about this place that was always home to me. Professor McGonagall asked me to be here today and the next two days to teach you a very important spell, one that I hope you never have to use⎯ but if you must, then I will do my best so you learn it right."

"The first time I ever attempted to teach this spell I was younger than you and I did it behind our principal's back." He gave a half shrug, "It's a nice change to be doing this without risking expulsion this time." 

"I wonder what spell he's talking about." Eddie heard Stan mutter behind him, there was a note of awe in his voice. He was probably freaking out over Harry Potter being there, just like Bev. 

"I'm going to teach you the Patronus charm." Harry said and a series of excited murmurs could be heard around the room. Eddie exchanged an eager look with Bev. "A patronus is a useful bit of defensive magic and it protects against Dementors, but it is also a complicated spell. There's more to it than good posture and proper enunciation. To conjure a patronus you must be thinking of a happy memory. It can be anything but it needs to be powerful if you want it to work. Even then, a full corporeal patronus is a difficult thing to achieve so don't be discouraged if you manage nothing more than silver vapor today." 

A few students exchanged disappointed glances, probably eager to find out what form their patronus would take. Eddie felt more than a little curious himself. 

"Each patronus is unique to the person casting the spell⎯"

"What is your patronus?" Greta Bowie asked from the front of the room. 

"Oh, mine is a stag," Harry said and then seemed to get an idea. "Here, I can show you." He pulled out his wand, pointed it at the left wall and cast the spell. 

Eddie had read about patronuses but he had never seen one in person and now he was watching Harry Potter _himself_ conjure a patronus right in front of him. He watched as the stag walked around, upright and proud until it vanished.

Audra Phillips, a Gryffindor girl, raised her hand looking slightly alarmed. "Are we going to face a real dementor?"

"No, not today." Harry said with a reassuring smile, tucking his wand back into his tunic. "Today you're going to find a partner and⎯" He was interrupted by the rustle of robes as the group started to break into pairs. "⎯practice."

Eddie turned to face Bev, only to find that she already had a partner. Both her and Ben gave him apologetic smiles but Eddie brushed them off. He thought of asking Bill to be his partner but he was already making his way to the other side of the room where Audra was looking for someone to pair up with. He saw Mike already facing Stan, both of them with their wands out. 

Eddie felt a flicker of worry at not having a partner when someone spoke right next to his ear. "Looks like it's just just you and me." Richie appeared in front of him, grinning from ear to ear.

"I think I'd rather face a Dementor." 

Richie’s grin didn't falter⎯ instead, it widened. "You might want to reconsider Eds. Dementors will suck out your soul. _I_ can suck something else." He said with an exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows.

Eddie spluttered, noticeably flustered. He looked around the room hoping to find someone else to be his partner, but everyone was already paired up and Harry Potter was giving the indication to start. 

Soon, the Great Hall reverberated with the sound of forty students casting the Patronus spell, though none of them were able to conjure anything. 

"It's okay." Harry Potter said over the noise. "No one gets it right on their first try. I definitely didn't. Remember, picture your happiest memory."

"Oh, I know what my happiest memory is." Richie said with a teasing tone. "Do you want to know, Eds?" 

"Not particularly, no." 

Richie ignored him. "I'll give you a hint. It involves your mother."

Eddie rolled his eyes, trying to zone Richie out and find _his_ memory. He thought of his very first day at Hogwarts, of being sorted into his family's house, of meeting Bev on the train, of winning the Quidditch cup in his third year.

They were all happy, but neither felt powerful enough. 

" _Expecto patronum_!" He said anyways, not surprised when nothing happened. 

"You're too tense Eds," Richie told him. "You need to relax." 

"Fuck off, Rich."

"What are you thinking about anyway?" He pressed on. "Your first Outstanding in Charms class? Your first pet snake? Whatever it is, it's clearly not happy enough." 

Eddie sighed. "You are insufferable, Tozier."

Richie accepted the insult like it was a compliment⎯ with a pleased little smile. 

Before he could shoot back at Eddie with some smart ass comment, a silver glow to their right caught their attention. They both turned around and saw that it was coming from Bev's wand. 

Ben was in front of her, staring at her in awe while she stared at her wand with glee. The silver mist had no shape, but it was undoubtedly the Patronus charm. It was also more than anyone in the room had managed so far. 

Harry Potter approached her. "Excellent. Very good Miss⎯"

"Marsh. Beverly Marsh." 

"Very good, Miss Marsh. Keep it up."

She nodded vigorously and when Harry turned around to keep doing laps around the room, she turned to Eddie and Richie with a frantic expression. 

"Harry Potter just fucking congratulated me!" 

Eddie chuckled at his friend. "I saw that." 

She squealed and turned back to Ben, hurrying to cast the spell again. 

By the time the hour was up only Bev, Bill and three other students had managed to conjure something _._ Harry didn't seem the least bit disappointed by that fact and he tried to keep them from feeling discouraged. "We will keep working on it. Try to think of a stronger, happier memory tonight and I'll see you again tomorrow. Same time, same place."

Once they were dismissed they left the Great Hall, whispering about Harry Potter and speculating about what each of their patronuses might look like. 

"Mine better be something big and mighty," Richie told them on their way out of the castle. Eddie and Stan snorted in unison. 

"Overcompensating much?" Stan teased, raising an eyebrow at his friend. 

"On the contrary my dear Staniel, I want my patronus to match my big⎯"

"Forehead?" Bev chimed in.

"Teeth?" Bill offered.

"Sense of humor?" Ben added. 

Mike, Eddie and Stan laughed, even Audra, who was walking with them, giggled softly. 

"Fuck all of you. Ben, you're my only friend now." Richie said, flipping all of them off in turn.

"Your patronus is probably going to be something annoying," Eddie said. "Like a rat or a monkey." 

"If mine is a rat then yours should be a cat Eddie my love, so you can keep chasing after me." 

"In your dreams Tozier." 

"Oh, every night Kaspbrak every night." He said with a wink. Then he seemed to consider something, "Yeah, definitely a cat Eds, they're small, stuck up little bitches but they're also cute, just like you." Richie pinched his cheek and Eddie had to resist the urge to stick his own wand up his nose.

"What do you think mine is going to be?" Stan wondered out loud. 

In unison, they all said, "Probably a bird." Everyone knew Stan was obsessed with them, Eddie wasn't sure it was a coincidence that he was sorted into Ravenclaw. 

A pleased smile curled along Stan's lips. 

"Yeah, definitely a bird." Richie said. "Just like Big Bill's is definitely going to be a lion. Gryffindor, through and through."

Bill simply shrugged, letting Richie drag him under his arm and mess up his hair. "Hopefully we will all find out tomorrow."

After that, the group split up to go to their respective classes. Eddie spent the rest of the day completely distracted, he was trying to come up with the perfect memory for casting the Patronus charm. It wasn't until late that night when he was lying on his bed listening to Lucas and Jasper talk about the Quidditch cup that it hit him. Quidditch always made Eddie think about his father, he was the one who got him his very first broom, who taught him how to fly. His favorite summer days were those where they would fly around their backyard, pretending to be at the Quidditch World Cup. Now, he just needed to find the happiest among those memories. 

The next day, the sixth years gathered in the Great Hall at noon again, excited to get started. 

Harry Potter was there to greet them this time. "Hello everyone! I hope you all managed to find your memory yesterday, I'm expecting to see more silver mist today and maybe even one or two full fledged patronuses. Now pair up and get started." 

"I bet I can conjure a full patronus before you do, Eds." Richie said, reaching for his wand and taking his place in front of Eddie, who ignored him in favor of focusing on the task. 

After three failed attempts, a silver glow finally emerged from Eddie's wand. Before he could get excited about his achievement though, there was a loud burst of sound to his right. 

It was Bev again, only this time it wasn't just a silver glow that she managed to conjure. Eddie watched with wide eyes as a huge phoenix exploded out of her wand, batting its wings with silver fire crackling around it before soaring and twirling around his friend. 

Harry Potter, who had been on the other side of the room, started clapping with everyone else following his lead. He made his way towards Bev. 

"Amazing!" He said when he reached her side. "Great job Miss Marsh, a full patronus and a phoenix above all things. Fiery, strong and powerful, like you I'm sure."

He clapped her in the back and moved on. Bev stared after him, looking like she might cry or break into a dance. 

"Oh, she is _never_ letting us live that down." Eddie said with a shake of his head, watching her successfully cast the spell one more time. He remembered when she had been the first one out of their Flying class to complete a fast lap around the castle grounds. She made it her personal task not to let anyone forget it. Eddie expected this to be the same, if not worse. "I wouldn't be surprised if she just walked around the halls with her patronus over her."

Richie snorted, his eyes following the phoenix as it soared over their heads. "She is probably going to walk into a room and just⎯ cast her patronus to get people's attention."

"Don't give her any ideas." 

"It doesn't help that her patronus is so bloody amazing." Richie groaned, crossing his arms. "Why couldn't it just be a beetle or something lame like that?" 

Eddie bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't laugh out loud, but Richie still noticed and his lips curled into a soft smile. 

Across the room, another full patronus ⎯a fox⎯ was successfully conjured by a Ravenclaw girl. And almost immediately, a Hufflepuff boy was staring in awe at his own patronus, a silver horse.

It was almost as if Bev conjuring hers was the push the rest of the students needed. More and more patronuses shot out of wands all across the room. 

Out of their group, Mike was the second to conjure his⎯ and neither of them was surprised when it took the form of a sheep. Eddie knew that Mike lived in a farm outside of muggle London with his family, he talked tirelessly about all the animals they had. It was only fitting that his patronus would be one of them.

Next was Bill, which was actually a big surprise to everyone. Just like Richie, they all expected his patronus to be a lion. Bill was brave and strong⎯ a true Gryffindor. But when his patronus took the form of a wolf, they all had to admit it actually made sense. Wolves were strong and brave too, but they were also leaders, a trait that definitely fit Bill⎯ captain of his quidditch team and the unspoken leader of their little group.

"Damn it," Richie muttered, watching their friend. "I was so fucking sure about that one. I just lost ten galleons to Max." 

"At least you still have Stan, you bet that his patronus would be some kind of bird, right?" Eddie asked, he'd heard Richie talking to a Slytherin girl about the patronuses they would be seeing today before their lesson started. 

"Yeah, I did."

But Richie didn't get Stan right either.

And no one was more upset about it than Stan himself. 

After successfully conjuring his patronus, Mike took a break to help Stan cast his own. While Stan was smarter than all of them, he had a tendency to get too caught up in his head when it came to actually casting spells. Mike was good at helping him relax. It was one of the reasons why they were so good together. 

Richie and Eddie were also taking a break⎯ even if neither of them had managed to conjure more than a silver glow, and they were watching Mike whisper encouragement to his boyfriend from behind.

He told Stan to breathe and to close his eyes, to picture himself inside his memory, to let happiness overtake him. 

"I'm having a hard time deciding if Stan's memory involves the library or the owlery." Richie whispered to Eddie. "He spends an awful lot of time in both."

Eddie poked him with his wand and Richie jumped, giving a tiny squeal. 

Then a flash of light bursted from Stan's wand as he finally casted the spell. He opened his eyes, eager to see his patronus. They all followed the silver mist flowing from the tip of his wand expecting to find some kind of bird, but they couldn't see anything. 

Richie clicked his tongue. "Okay, did I drop my glasses or something or is there nothing there?" 

"I don't wear glasses and I don't see anything either." Eddie said, squinting his eyes to see if he could make out something. 

Stan's face was twisted in a confused frown. Then Mike tapped his shoulder and pointed at a spot on the floor. Richie and Eddie followed the movement with their own eyes. 

"Is that⎯"

"I think it's a worm or something."

"⎯More like a slug."

"It's a sea slug." Ben said. Bev and him had also been watching Stan.

"It's tiny. Like really really tiny." Richie said, crouching to stare at it. "Hey there little bud, can you even take on a dementor?"

"Shut up, Richie." Stan said, not looking particularly thrilled with his patronus. "It's bigger than yours." 

Eddie knew Stan meant that it was bigger than Richie's patronus which he had yet to be able to conjure, but he could see a glint in his friend's eyes that could only mean he was about to make a joke about his dick. Before he could, he grabbed Richie's and started walking. "It's not, by the way." He said anyways as Eddie dragged him away. "Bigger than mine." 

Eddie simply rolled his eyes, turning to face Richie. Behind him he could see Stan, still glaring at his patronus, and Ben slowly approaching him. 

"It's also called the sea sheep." Ben said, pointing at the little guy. Apparently his love and knowledge about creatures wasn't limited to those that were magical. 

"Sea sheep?" Stan asked. 

"Yeah, because it looks like a sheep, see?" 

Stan cocked his head and his eyes widened once he saw the resemblance. Then his eyes darted to Mike, then to his wand which had conjured his own patronus earlier and they widened even more. _Sheep_ . _Sea sheep_. It made sense. Eddie had heard about patronuses being the same for people with strong bonds between them⎯ soulmates. Mike and Stan's weren't exactly the same, but they were pretty close. 

Eddie saw them exchange a glance as realization hit them both and he had to look away, feeling like he was intruding. He suspected that Stan didn't hate his patronus' shape that much anymore. 

"Hey Eds," Richie said, snapping Eddie from his thoughts. "Last one to cast their patronus is a loser." 

Eddie's mouth curled into a smile at the challenge. 

He tuned out everyone around him, focusing on his memory, on his father. He remembered the first time he ever flew a broom. His first broom, which was a gift from him. He remembered how scared he had felt the moment his feet left the ground, how that fear was replaced with excitement as he rose higher. He couldn't have flown more than a few feet before he was stumbling back into the ground, but that didn't stop Frank from whistling and cheering like Eddie had just won the Quidditch cup. His smile when Eddie ran towards him, the broom in his hand and a beaming grin in his face while he yelled "I did it, Dad! I did it!" filled Eddie with joy. He felt that same joy spread through him as he relieved that memory and latching onto it he raised his wand and said, " _Expecto patronum_!"

Eddie felt something shoot out of his wand and when he opened his eyes, his jaw almost hit the floor as he took in the sight in front of him. 

Richie had been right about one thing. His patronus was a cat. A tiger, to be exact. A big, imposing tiger with huge teeth that snarled and growled so loud that the sound echoed in the Great Hall. 

"Bloody hell!" He heard Richie gasp. He had taken a few steps back and was gawking at the tiger, both in awe and a little bit of fear. To his right, Bev was giving him an enthusiastic thumbs up, while Ben's eyes were glued to the creature. To his left, Stan and Mike were grinning at him. Harry Potter gave him a nod and a smile from the other side of the room. Other students were staring too, both with surprise and respect. People tended to underestimate and doubt Eddie, but in that moment he felt like everyone in this room knew what he was capable of, knew how powerful he really was. 

He lowered his wand and the tiger faded. Eddie already couldn't wait to conjure it again. 

"Bloody hell Eds!" Richie repeated. "That was fucking awesome."

"It was pretty cool, wasn't it?" Eddie said, still a bit in shock. 

"Fuck yeah, it was a fucking tiger!" He was on him in an instant, wrapping his arm around Eddie's shoulder and nuzzling his hair. Eddie couldn't help but lean into the touch. "Come on, do it again!"

Eddie complied, conjuring his patronus again. It was easier this time, but just as exciting. Richie was smiling giddily at him. 

The tiger walked around Eddie as if it was guarding him. When someone approached, it would growl quietly in warning and most people would be smart enough to stay behind. They all knew that the patronus couldn't really hurt them but it was still intimidating. Not to Richie though. Richie kept moving closer and closer, his hand stretched out in front of him. The tiger eyed him cautiously, growling softly. When his hand was about to make contact with it, the tiger flinched and Eddie thought he would try to bite Richie's hand off, not caring whether it was possible or not, but then the animal relaxed and he ducked his head down so Richie could scratch behind his ears. 

Richie let out a whoop, meeting Eddie's eyes. "Look Eds, he must like me as much as you do!" 

Eddie wanted to say something along the lines of _not possible because I don't like you at all_ but then the tiger literally purred at Richie and Eddie's words died in his throat. He couldn't help but think of it as a traitor and opted for lowering his wand before it did something embarrassing like licking Richie's hand or something like that⎯ "you probably want to lick me all over too, huh Eds?" He could picture Richie saying already. 

"Whatever," Eddie said, tucking his wand back in his robe. "It's your turn, show me that patronus of yours. Let's see if it's really that big and mighty."

"Are we still talking about my patronus, Eds?" Richie teased, waggling his eyebrows. 

"By Merlin, you're annoying."

Richie laughed, but he still lifted his wand and tried to conjure his patronus. 

Unsuccessfully. 

At first he brushed it off, acted like it didn't bother him that he couldn't seem to do it. And Eddie teased him about it. 

"Told you you should pay more attention in Charms class." Eddie told him. He had seen Richie dozing off countless times during Flitwick's lectures. _Why do we need to listen to him talk about the right way to flick your wrist for three hours?_ He would say when Eddie confronted him about it. "It's not just swish and flick anymore, is it?"

Richie gave back just as much, teasing Eddie about how if this was a new potion they were learning he would've beaten Eddie's ass at it. But as time passed and more students managed to cast their patronuses while he didn't, Richie grew more and more frustrated, so Eddie dialed back the teasing and offered him advice instead. 

But by the time the hour was up, Richie still hadn't done it. 

He wasn't the only one. Ben hadn't conjured his either. Same with Audra and at least a dozen other students, but that didn't stop Richie from falling into a bad mood because of it. 

"Great job today everyone! Those of you who are still struggling, keep trying, you'll get there. See you all tomorrow." Harry said, Eddie heard Richie let out a frustrated sigh next to him. 

They turned around to leave. "Hey, I'm sure you'll get it tomorrow." Eddie said and heard a scoff behind him. 

"Oh please." Greta Bowie said flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Tozier is a failure, he won't make it."

"Shut up, Greta." Richie said through gritted teeth. 

She eyed him up and down with disdain. "You really are Ravenclaw's joke." She said. "Or did you not notice that you're the only one from our house who couldn't cast his patronus?"

Richie's jaw clenched, the hand holding his wand balling into a fist. Eddie wrapped his fingers around it, taking a step forward and getting between Greta and Richie. "You know Greta, I may be the one who's in Slytherin, but you are the only snake here."

Greta glared at him and without another word, whirled around and left the Great Hall. 

"Thanks Eds." Richie said once she was gone. "But you didn't have to jump in, she's right after all."

"Richie⎯"

"I have to go. Transfiguration class starts soon." He said and with that he was gone, even if Eddie was well aware that his class didn't start for another hour. 

The incident with Greta stayed in Eddie's mind the rest of the day, he couldn't seem to shake off the way Richie had looked after it. He wished he could do something to help. He was on his way back to Slytherin's common room after a late Quidditch practice when the opportunity presented itself. 

He was walking by an empty classroom when he heard a string of curses and something that sounded like a chair hitting the floor. He would've kept walking if he hadn't recognized the voice right away. 

Instead, he opened the door just enough to peek inside. There was a single lamp sitting on the desk but its light was enough to see that the person inside was Richie. He was wearing normal clothes instead of his uniform, but other than that he looked exactly the same as before. Defeated. Angry. Disappointed. 

Eddie hated seeing him like that so, before he could talk himself out of it, he pushed the door open the rest of the way and walked into the classroom just as Richie tried to cast the spell again. Silver mist erupted from his wand, but nothing more. He kicked the chair again. 

"I hope you're not planning to fight off a dementor by kicking it."

Richie jumped, whirling around. When he caught sight of Eddie, he relaxed. "Christ Eds, I thought you were a fucking ghost."

Eddie snorted. "I thought _you_ were a ghost." He said, closing the door behind him and locking it. The last thing they needed was for a teacher to find them and give them detention. "A very angry ghost who hates chairs for some weird reason."

"Why would a ghost hate chairs?"

Eddie shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it was killed by one."

"Yeah, I guess." Richie said amused. "What are you doing roaming the halls so late?"

"Quidditch practice. I stayed a little longer than everyone else. I want to be ready for the match next week." 

Richie smiled. "Eds, you're the best chaser Slytherin has already." 

Eddie flushed pink at the compliment. "Yeah yea. No one handles balls the way I do."

"Exactly."

"What about you?"

"Well, I think my ball game is pretty great if I do say so myself. I can show you if you want." Richie said with a shit eating grin. 

Eddie felt immediately flustered. "No, you troll. I meant what are you doing here so late?" He said. "Other than attacking chairs."

Richie sighed. "Trying to be less of a failure. And failing."

"Rich⎯"

"Why can't I do the spell right? Everyone else could."

"Not everyone."

"Everyone in my house, according to Greta."

"Forget about Greta."

"Why? She's right."

"She's not." Eddie said with defiance. "You can do this, okay? I'll help."

"You don't have to, Eds."

"I want to, yeah? I want to see what form your patronus will take and if it will be as annoying as you."

"Admit it Eddie, you just want to see if mine is bigger than yours. Spoiler alert, it probably is." 

"Don't make me regret this." Eddie said with a shake of his head. 

He stood next to him and watched Richie raise his wand. He took a deep breath, face blank except for a crease between his eyebrows as he focused on his memory. 

" _Expecto patronum_!" He cried and Eddie saw silver mist erupt from his wand but that was it. He groaned in frustration, letting his wand drop and running a hand through his hair. "This is bloody useless."

"It's not," Eddie said, grabbing his wrist before he could put the wand away. "I think you're not thinking happy enough things."

"It feels happy enough." 

"Maybe not for a full patronus, you know. Maybe you need something more powerful."

"What is _your_ memory?" Richie asked curiously. 

"Oh. The first time I flew in my broom. I was eleven and the broom was a gift from my father. We were playing with it in our backyard and when I finally took off I felt so happy, so⎯ free." Eddie told him, his face breaking into a smile. "And then I saw my father⎯ I've never seen him smile so big."

Richie was smiling at him, a soft tender smile that Eddie liked to think was reserved just for him. "I get what you're saying, that is definitely a powerful one."

Eddie cocked his head curiously at him. "What was yours?"

"Oh, when I got my Hogwarts letter." Richie shrugged, then he huffed out a laugh. "My parents thought it was some elaborate prank that I managed to pull off at eleven." 

"I can't say I blame them, seeing what you get up to now I can only imagine what eleven year old you put his parents through."

Richie snorted. "Oh you have no idea Eds. I almost drove poor Maggie and Went crazy. Especially that day when I accidentally turned myself purple."

Eddie burst into laughter before he remembered that it was the middle of the night and that they were supposed to be back in their common rooms. He brought a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. Richie was giving him _that_ smile again and he blushed under his stare. 

"Come on," Eddie cleared his throat. "We don't want Filch to find us and threaten to hang us from our toes. Why don't you try with a different memory?"

Richie nodded and he tried to cast the spell again.

And again.

And again. 

But it didn’t matter how hard he tried, how many happy memories he tried to use, the silver mist didn’t take any form. Richie grew more frustrated the more he tried. Eddie wanted to help him, but just because he'd managed to cast the spell it didn't mean that he could do something to help and Richie could see that.

“Whatever.” He said after trying one more time, this time thinking about the first potion he managed to brew perfectly only a week after their first year started. It had earned him surprised glances from his classmates, a proud grin from Slughorn and twenty points to Ravenclaw. But even if he claimed it made him feel happy and proud of himself, the memory wasn’t powerful enough. “Clearly Greta is right and I suck.”

“We can still try⎯”

“I _tried_ Eds,” Richie said, an angry tone to his voice. “But it doesn’t work. I guess I don’t have happy enough memories for this bloody spell.”

“Then fucking make one!” Eddie said, feeling slightly angry himself. He hated that Richie would listen to Greta, that he would let what she said to him get inside his head. 

Richie didn’t say anything for a moment and Eddie watched him, trying to read his expression. But there was nothing in it that warned Eddie about what he was about to do and he was completely taken by surprise when Richie leaned down and kissed him. 

He froze, his brain trying to understand what was happening. Richie must have sensed something was wrong because he pulled back, eyes wide and panicked behind his glasses. 

“Fuck. I shouldn’t have done that⎯”

Eddie opened his mouth to say something, but only a strangled sound came out. 

“I’m sorry Eds, I’m⎯ shit, I gotta go.”

That made Eddie snap into action. “No Rich⎯” He said, but it didn’t matter, Richie was already turning around and with two long strides he was opening the door and stepping into the hallway.

Eddie stared at the door as it swung close behind him, heart pounding in his chest. Richie had kissed him. One second they had been arguing over whether or not Richie could cast the patronus spell and the next Richie’s lips were on his, the action nearly knocking Eddie off his feet like a fucking bludger hitting him in the chest. 

“Merlin’s fucking beard.” Eddie cursed. Richie had done the one thing Eddie had been too chicken to do and Eddie had just stood there, instead of kissing him back. Then he had tried to tell Richie that it was okay, that he didn’t need to freak out but his stupid voice had failed him. Richie had looked so worried and it was all Eddie’s fault. He thought of going after him, but he wouldn’t reach him before Richie made it back to his common room and then Eddie would be stuck outside, hoping someone might show up and get Richie for him. But then he would also be risking getting caught and the last thing he needed was to lose points for Slytherin and end up in detention. 

He would talk to Richie tomorrow, before they were supposed to meet at the Great Hall for more Patronus practice. 

_If Richie even shows up,_ he thought. 

He was already convinced he couldn’t cast the spell and now, because of the way Eddie had reacted to the kiss, he probably thought Eddie was mad and that he would hit him with a spell if he came anywhere near him. Eddie could only hope that wouldn’t be the case as he made his way to the dungeons and to his room, knowing that there was no way he would be getting any sleep that night. 

During breakfast the next morning he tried to locate Richie in the Ravenclaw table, thinking that maybe they could talk before their classes, but Richie was nowhere to be found. Eddie made eye contact with Stan from across the room and had to look away. Stan wasn’t glaring at him but he definitely didn’t seem happy with him. Fucking great. 

He paid absolutely no attention during his Herbology class. He was lucky Mike was his partner or else he probably would have ended up with Fanged Geranium bites all over his arms. 

“What is going on with you today?” Mike asked halfway through class, but his face told Eddie that he was asking out of common courtesy. 

He let out a groan. “You know, don't you?”

Mike shrugged, not even denying it. “I know something’s up. And I know it has to do with Richie.”

Eddie couldn’t help but groan again. Next time he saw Stan he would return the unhappy stare. “It’s nothing. I mean it’s something but I’ll fix it. I just need to talk to him. I was going to, during breakfast but I couldn’t find him.”

Mike nodded, he was listening to Eddie but his eyes were fixed on the Fanged Geranium as he trimmed the leaves. “He told Stan he would skip breakfast. And his morning Transfiguration class. And probably our Patronus lesson too.”

Eddie’s heart fell, he was hoping to talk to him then and fix everything between them before they had to partner up and practice their spell. “Fuck.” 

Mike gave him a concerned look. “What happened between you two?”

“Richie kissed me,” Eddie said, making sure the students around him weren’t listening. Mike’s head whirled around towards him, almost earning him a bite from the plant as he let himself get distracted. “And I didn’t kiss him back.”

“Huh,” Mike turned back to the plant, shrugging. “I always thought you liked him too.”

This wasn’t the first time one of their friends told Eddie something like that, his knee jerk reaction was letting out an indignant snort and confronting Mike with a “what do you mean by that? I don’t like Richie, I could never like Richie,” but instead he sighed, shoulders slumping, “I do like him.” He said, surprising himself, but he had spent the better part of last night going over everything in his head and realized that it was stupid to keep pretending otherwise.

Mike quirked an eyebrow at him. “Then why didn’t you kiss him back?”

“I was just surprised, okay?” Eddie said, exasperated. He had asked that same question to himself over and over. “And before I could do anything he was pulling back and freaking out and running out of the fucking door!”

Mike chuckled, careful to keep his fingers out of reach while he watered the plant. “You two are the perfect match.” 

Eddie huffed, flustered. “Just because you and Stan are practically soulmates doesn’t mean you’re some kind of⎯ of witch doctor.”

An amused smile curled along Mike’s lips. “A witch doctor?”

“Yeah it’s something Richie said once, he told me it was some muggle thing.” Eddie said, only now realizing Richie had probably tricked him. Having a muggle parent himself, Mike probably knew it was some kind of joke. If it was though, he kept it to himself. 

“I don’t need to be a _witch doctor_ ,” he said, doing air quotes, “to know that you and Richie like each other. You two are so obvious even a Blindworm could see it.” Eddie flushed again, making himself busy with a pair of tweezers so he wouldn’t have to look at Mike. “You need to talk to him.”

Eddie huffed in annoyance. “I have to be able to find him in order to do that.”

“You might want to try the Black Lake.” Mike said and Eddie’s head snapped up, eyes wide and hopeful. “Stan might have mentioned that he likes to go there to see if he can hit the Giant Squid with a rock.”

Eddie snickered. “That definitely sounds like Richie.” He said then smiled at his friend. “Thanks Mike.” 

“Witch doctor, please.” Mike said with a smirk, Eddie gave him a shove. 

Once they were dismissed, Eddie was out of the greenhouse in a flash. He had a little less than an hour before their Patronus class so he needed to hurry. 

He found Richie exactly where Mike told him⎯ tossing rocks at the Black Lake, his eyes focused on the mountains far away. He didn’t notice Eddie approach him. 

“Hey Rich.”

“Bloody hell!” Richie cursed, whirling around and tossing a rock at Eddie, who dodged it only because of his Quidditch fast reflexes.

“What the fuck?” He said with an indignant tone, eyes darting between Richie and the rock on the ground. 

“What the fuck _with you_?” Richie shot back. “Why do you keep sneaking up on me?”

“You’re very easy to sneak up on.” Eddie said with a shrug and Richie chuckled, the tension lifting up the slightest bit. He pointed at the rock at Eddie’s feet.

“Sorry I threw a rock at you.”

“I’ve had worse things thrown at me.” Eddie replied. Richie nodded but didn’t say anything, watching Eddie nervously. “I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning.”

“Oh, yeah I⎯ I had a big dinner. I wasn’t hungry.” 

Even if Mike hadn’t told him what Stan had said, Eddie would have recognized the lie. He decided to let it slide. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Eddie could see the way Richie’s entire body tensed up. “Look Eds I’m really sorry about last night I didn’t mean⎯ I was just⎯” he sighed, running a hand through his hair, messing it up. “I don’t know what I was thinking okay? You said⎯ you said I should create a happy memory and I just⎯ I don't know.”

Last night, Eddie had wondered endlessly what had prompted Richie to kiss him. If his feelings were the same as Eddie’s then he probably had wanted to kiss him many times before and Eddie wanted to know what made him go for it this time. He couldn’t help the way his stomach swooped when Richie told him what it was. 

“You hoped the memory of our kiss would be enough to cast the spell?”

Richie shrugged. “Well what could be happier than finally kissing the guy you’ve been crushing on for almost five years, right?” He gave a shaky laugh.

Eddie’s heart nearly fluttered out his chest. Richie had just admitted he had been crushing on him for five years. _Years._ He scrunched up his nose. “I kind of ruined it, didn’t I?”

Richie gave him a sad smile. “You didn’t ruin anything Eds. It’s okay that you don’t feel the same way.”

“I do feel the same way.” Eddie said softly but it was still loud enough for Richie to hear him, his eyes widening. 

“What? But you didn’t⎯”

“Kiss you back? Said anything last night? Yeah, I fucking know but it’s not like you gave me a chance. You just ran away.” He said exasperated before deflating again. “I was happy you kissed me and I wanted to kiss you back, I just needed a second to,” He gestured wildly around himself, “process it.”

Richie studied him with a curious glance. Without realizing, the two of them had moved closer and now they stood only a foot apart. Eddie could see Richie’s freckles, more visible after spending the morning in the sun, he wanted to reach out and touch them. “Did you⎯ Have you processed it already?” 

He nodded. “Yeah, I thought about it all night.”

Richie’s face broke into his usual smirk. “You think about kissing me while laying on your bed at night a lot Eds?”

Eddie blushed furiously but he forced himself to look Richie in the eye when he said, “You don’t?”

Richie’s expression was honest when he said, “Every night Eds, every fucking night.”

That was everything Eddie needed to close the distance between them, put a hand on the back of Richie’s neck and drag him down for a kiss. 

This time he let himself enjoy everything he hadn’t been able to enjoy last night⎯ the feel of Richie’s lips, chapped but still soft, tasting slightly of mint, the way his hands held Eddie’s head softly, the happy sigh he released at the back of his throat, even the way his glasses pushed against Eddie’s face when he stepped closer. 

Eddie’s heart was nearly beating out of his chest and he could see what Richie meant before, nothing could beat the happy, almost giddy feeling of kissing the guy you’ve liked for years.

“I swear to Merlin,” Richie said when they broke apart, “If this moment right here isn’t happy enough to cast a fucking full patronus, I will throw myself from the Astronomy tower.”

Eddie let out an indignant snort, “Good to know your stupid patronus is all you care about.”

“Of course not Eds,” Richie said, planting a kiss on Eddie’s forehead and making him blush a dark shade of pink. “I also care about shutting Greta up once and for all.” He added with a gleeful laugh.

Eddie tried to glare at him, but then Richie laced their fingers together, heading for the castle and Eddie’s glower dissolved into a lovestruck smile. 

They made it to the Great Hall less than two minutes before Harry Potter arrived. They walked inside hand in hand and went to join their friends. Mike was the first one to see them, he immediately noticed their joined hands and grinned at Eddie. He elbowed Stan, who was leaning against him, and gestured at them. Stan rolled his eyes and muttered something that looked a lot like “fucking finally,” but Eddie could see his mouth twitching into a smile. Then it was Bev who noticed them and she let out a squeal, pointing at their hands and demanding to know what happened and why she wasn’t the first to know about it. 

Luckily for Eddie, Harry Potter chose that exact moment to enter the room and call for their attention. Soon they were told to pair up and continue practicing. Their whole walk from the Black Lake to the Great Hall Richie hadn’t stopped talking about attempting to cast his patronus again, saying he felt good about it now, confident. But that confidence seemed to have drained out now that he actually had to try again. Eddie knew he was worried about failing, worried that the memory he was trying to conjure wasn’t the problem but that it was actually just him. 

“What if I just can’t do it?” He asked, fingers playing with his wand. 

“We’ll keep practicing.”

“What if I never do it?”

“Then I guess it’s up to me to keep you safe from Dementors.” Eddie said easily and saw Richie relax, if only slightly. “But you don’t have to worry about that because you got this, Rich.” He added, planting a quick kiss on Richie’s cheek before moving out his wand’s way. 

Richie took a deep breath, brow furrowed in concentration. Eddie crossed his fingers under his tunic, a muggle thing that Richie once told him was supposed to bring good luck. 

“ _Expecto patronum!_ ” Richie cried, again silver mist erupted from his wand and Eddie saw the way his grip faltered, but before he could lower his arm in disappointment, the glow started twisting and squirming until it started to take the shape of⎯ _something_. 

“You did it!” He said, excited and Richie gave him a surprised grin. 

Eddie cocked his head to the side, trying to make out the shape of the patronus but as soon as it was formed it quickly scurried away, doing circles around Richie and Eddie, followed by silver vapor. It was only when it slowed down that Eddie could make out what it was. 

He let out a laugh. “It’s a ferret.” He said, watching the small, sneaky animal as he took off again, curious about the big Golden Retriever patronus that Ben had just conjured next to them. The dog didn’t keep his attention for long and soon he was racing back to Richie. He climbed his long legs, tried to sneak into his pockets before continuing upwards until he was resting on Richie’s shoulder. 

Richie stared at it with an amused⎯ and slightly disbelieving⎯ expression. “Hey there little guy. You’re not what I expected but I like you.” He said, scratching behind the animal’s silver ears. Eddie watched the scene in front of him with a fond smile. “You deserve a name. I would call you Little Richie but I already used that name on something else and he’s not little at all, if you know what I mean.” He said with a ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows.

Eddie’s fond expression disappeared and he rolled his eyes. “No, he doesn’t know what you mean, he’s a ferret. He’s not even a _real_ ferret.”

Richie gasped in indignation. “He is real to me Eds and he shall have a name.” He studied the creature and smiled. “I shall call you⎯ Slinky.”

Eddie couldn’t keep his laughter in, the ferret’s ears perked up and he abandoned Richie’s shoulder in favor of scurrying towards Eddie, who crouched down to say hi and scratch his ear. 

“I think he likes you.”

Eddie nodded. “You might just have some competition.” He teased and Richie snorted. “He’s a lot like you actually⎯ lanky, easily distracted and a little silly.”

“Aww Eds, you say the nicest things.” Richie said with a happy sigh. 

Their friends approached them then, wanting to see Richie’s patronus. They all rolled their eyes fondly when Richie introduced it as Slinky. Then they were all pulling out their wands and their patronuses started to appear one by one. It didn’t come as a surprise when Richie’s ferret immediately took a liking to Eddie’s tiger, scurrying around its legs, climbing on its back. Eddie expected his tiger to snarl and growl at him but instead, he played along with Slinky, chasing him around the room. 

Richie and Eddie watched them as they were joined by Bill’s wolf and Ben’s dog, Bev’s phoenix flapping its wings above them. Eddie elbowed Richie’s side, “I told you you could do it.” He said with a smirk. “Seems like that kiss worked after all.”

“Oh no, I chose a different memory.” 

Eddie’s face pulled into a frown. “Which one?” 

Richie threw an arm around his shoulder, tucking Eddie to his side. “Well the memory of the first time I had sex with your mom, of course.”

Eddie screeched, giving Richie a hard shove. “You’re disgusting!” He said, but when Richie wrapped his arms around him again, Eddie couldn’t bring himself to push him away. And when Richie leaned down to kiss him, Eddie could only kiss him back.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think or come talk to me on tumblr [jem-castairs-is-perfection](http://jem-carstairs-is-perfection.tumblr.com/)


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